ALWAYS a Proper Order..&#46Managing your time

Work, school, homemaking, balancing a budget, supporting and encouraging my marriage…the list goes on and on! What to do first? Do you tell your husband “hold that thought” so you can tend to the children? Do you tell God you will have to talk to Him later, as soon as you finish talking with your daughter? The essence of smart time management rests on the understanding that there is ALWAYS a proper order when it comes to prioritizing demands on our time.

Corinthians 14:40 “let all things be done decently and in order”. Order helps to establish calm in our lives. It is imperative for our spiritual health and our mental sanity that we put all things in proper order. That proper order is to always place God first, and all else can follow. We are told in Mat 6:33 to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

During the construction of the tabernacle, God gave specific instructions for the exact order in which things were to be done. He did not give them vague guidance, “just make sure you complete everything”. No, there is always a proper order in which things should be done! Exodus 40:1-5: “ then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying … you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting…you shall bring in the table and arrange the things that are to be set in order on it… you shall bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. And you shall put the golden altar for incense before the ark of the testimony, and set up the screen for the door of the tabernacle…

Order does not only mean we pray and study first thing in the morning and then check it off our list. You must not say to yourself, “ I am done, I did it first, now I can move on”. God has to be first in ALL that we do. Throughout the day when having a conversation, make sure that conversation is pleasing to God. When you are asked to complete a task, make sure your attitude is pleasing to God. Mothers, make sure you are leading your children daily with Godly love AND Godly discipline.

Let’s learn from the story of when Christ visited the home of Mary and Martha. Luke 10:41: “And Jesus answered and said to her Martha, Martha you are worried and troubled about many things. But one is needed and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.” Mary was placing listening to Christ before the serving of the people. That was RIGHT order. God always wants us to have Him, and only Him first in our lives.